


A Midnight Conversation

by NikaylaSarae



Series: Lies Verse [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Negative Self Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikaylaSarae/pseuds/NikaylaSarae
Summary: All Virgil expected when he stepped out onto the balcony was to have a quiet moment to himself.
Series: Lies Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782367
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	A Midnight Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is Virgil’s POV of Chapter 2 in my other fic White Lies. But you don’t necessarily need to read it to understand what’s going on here. 
> 
> Cross-posted with minor edits from my Tumblr account @stillebesat.

Virgil only felt a little guilty as he slipped out onto the balcony, the continual noise of Roman and Patton’s New Year’s pot banging vanishing as he softly clicked the french doors shut.

He knew the others wouldn’t mind his brief disappearing act. Knew that they knew he would need a little break from the party before he could come back and join in. But that still didn’t mean he didn’t feel bad for ducking out for a few minutes.

Virgil leaned against the doors, letting out a slow breath as the quiet surrounded him like a blanket, the chill in the air soothing against his warm skin.

He looked up, a small smile coming onto his face as he watched the last of Roman’s New Year Star vanish from the horizon. “I wish….” He mumbled aloud out of habit, his mind idly searching for something to wish for this year.

Like he’d done every year.

But this time...he was coming up blank.

After all, his wish had come true last year with the others’ acceptance of him. Finally he could show his softer, less antagonistic side to them. Finally he could feel like he belonged with them as part of the FamILY instead of a lone wolf on the outskirts. Finally he could--

A quiet sniffle pulled Virgil from his thoughts. He straightened, pushing away from the door, searching the balcony with a small frown. Who?? He should have been alone up here.

Another sob. Movement in the starlight. A mound of black shifting against the railing. A black hat--

Virgil blinked. He knew that hat. “Dilyn?” He asked, keeping his voice soft. The young side should have been in Princey’s room asleep hours ago. Not up here shivering in the cold. “What are you doing--”

The words froze in his throat as a tiny hand rose in an all too familiar gesture, grabbing at the air.  _ Deceit. _

A quiet whimper reached his ears as the hand fell limply to the ground before completing the motion that would have sent Virgil’s hand to his mouth, silencing him.

He took a cautious breath, the tightness in his chest fading.  _ That wasn’t--Deceit didn’t just give up like that.  _ “Dee?” Virgil inched forward, the instinct to turn around and leave the boy alone to his misery vanishing as Dilyn choked back another sob, burying his head deeper into the folds of his cape. 

Deceit hadn’t cried like this since…. _ since the day he’d shrunk.  _ But--Virgil licked his lips. It had been Roman who’d done most of the comforting then. Not him. Anxiety didn’t  _ do  _ comfort.

So why in the world was he settling down next to Dilyn, resting his back against the bars, listening to the dark side cry?

Virgil stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets, fingering his phone as he glanced to Dilyn in his oversized clothes. The cape, the hat, the ugly dishwasher gloves tossed to the side. He exhaled, resting his head against the bars as he looked up at the stars. “You remember when we used to come up here as kids?” He asked when there was a lull in the sniffling.

Dilyn’s breath hitched. “ _ No. _ ”

The faintest of echos in his voice meant yes. “I’m surprised. You’re the one who brought me up here when we were...what? Five?”

“....six.” Came the soft correction.

Right. “That was the first year I saw Creativity’s Star.” He hadn’t been brave enough to venture out of the shadows until Dee had dragged him up to the Conscious mind to look ‘outside’ while the Big Three were distracted. “You told me that if we wished hard enough whatever we wished for would come true.”

Deceit sniffled, lifting his head, resting his chin on his knees. “I lied _.” _

Virgil huffed a laugh, sliding down into a more comfy position. One that would put him on Dilyn’s level. What else was new? Though Dee had only become the Deceit they loved to hate in Middle School when Thomas had first seriously started questioning who he was attracted to.

Virgil glanced over, noting the slight shimmer on the boy’s cheeks in the faded light. “You didn’t. At least not as much back then. I mean, you wished on it then too.”

Dil--Deceit scrubbed at his eyes, shaking his head. “Imma fool. Wishes no come true.”

Virgil quirked an eyebrow. “Not all of them no.” He remembered the year he’d wished for Princey to never have a good hair day. Or three years after that when he wished that the Creative Side would lose his voice for the year to stop the constant singing. “And the ones that do...don’t always...” He licked his lips, shrugging a shoulder. “… _.they don’t come true when we want them to, but when the time is right _ .” He said, quoting Deceit’s words back at him.

The words that had echoed in his head the last time Dee had watched the Star drop with him. The last time they’d actually been...on the same page.

Before Anxiety had upgraded his presence from a small nuisance to major thorn in everyone’s sides.

Before Deceit had begun this whole…villain act. Silencing them whenever they tried to---

“ _ Never.”  _ Dilyn growled, abruptly jerking the hat off his head and throwing it at the door. “ _ Never. NEVER. NEVER COMES TRUE! IT NEVER--”  _ Deceit abruptly turned into Virgil’s side, breaking down again as he clung to his sweatshirt. “ _ Nevernevernever.” _

“Whoa...whoa. Hey.” Virgil wrapped an arm around the young side, squeezing him. “Dee….”

“It’s  _ Dilyn _ .” Deceit corrected bitterly.  _ “Deceit’s gone. Powers bye bye. All unwan--” _

Virgil inhaled sharply. “You’re lying.” Thomas still lied on a daily basis despite his best intentions. Dee could still use his abilities while in the Subconscious. Virgil and Roman would never have been able to take turns pretending to be him and make it believable otherwise.

Deceit growled, shoving away from Virgil. “I STILL SMALL!” He yelled, pushing to his feet, gesturing at himself. “I HERE A YEAR, VEE AND I STILL SMALL.  _ TOMMY DOESN’T WANT ME. DOESN’T NEED ME _ .” He glared at Virgil with reddened eyes. “HOW IS  **THAT** ” His voice cracked. “LYING?!”

“HEY.” Virgil sat up, pulling Deceit back into a tight hug. “Hey. No. Dee. No. It’s not like that.”

Deceit whimpered, digging his fingers into Virgil’s jacket, shivering in his oversized clothes. “Tis too.”

“It’s not. You don’t think….” He exhaled, rubbing Dee’s back. “That me wishing the same stupid wish every year was...pointless? You don’t think after ten years I had stopped believing Thomas would ever accept me? That all my work was for nothing?”

He had. He’d ducked out. But the others had come for him. Finally accepted him.

He squeezed the young side. “Your wishing isn’t pointless. You will be yourself again, Dee. You’ll...grow up. Thomas will...will learn to--”

Deceit sniffed, shoulders shaking. “He  _ loves  _ me.” He choked out.

“He hated me too.” Virgil said softly. “You know that.” That was what their last major fight had been about when he’d gone to the Light Sides. Deceit had tried to convince him that it would be better to stay in the shadows. Go back to being a tiny nuisance. “But look how that’s changed in the past year.” He’d revealed his name. Had upgraded his clothes. Hung out with the others without scorn or dislike coming his way. Thomas even liked having him around...most of the time. He still had his job as Anxiety to do after all.

Deceit huffed a bitter laugh, curling up in Virgil’s lap. “That...you.” He whispered. “You...liked. All Tommy’s fans like you. I’m...I just…” He raised a hand to his scaled cheek.

Virgil reached out, pressing his hand against Deceit’s, rubbing his thumb against the freezing scales. He would need to get Dee inside soon before the poor kid caught another cold.

“You’re doing what I did when I first showed up. Making a bad first impression. Thomas will come around. More of his fans will come around. I mean...you’ve convinced us as Dilyn that you’re not that bad of a guy. It just takes--”

Deceit groaned, pulling away from his hand, ducking his head. “Time.” He practically spat, tugging at one of the drawstrings on Virgil’s hoodie. “How. Much. Longer. Vee?” He demanded. “How mucher more?” He sniffed, rubbing his nose against the cape. “I small a year! I wanna…” He dropped his voice, “I wish….”

Virgil reached out resting his hand against the scales one more, a small smile playing on his lips as the side leaned into his touch. “That you were big? That you were Deceit again?”

Dee flinched, abruptly pulling away, keeping his eyes downcast.  _ “It’s dumb.” _

Virgil gently lifted the boy’s chin to meet his eyes. “I don’t think so.”

Tears danced in his mismatched eyes. “You should.” He whispered.  _ “I do.”  _

Virgil exhaled, chewing on his bottom lip as he searched Dee’s face.

Deceit had taken to his shrunken state a lot better than Virgil had when it happened to him the first time. And he’d only been little for three days. Dee had been a kid for nearly a year and hadn’t complained once before tonight. He’d been great in his...his role as Dilyn.

But a year was too long to pretend to be someone you aren’t. Even Virgil had had his moments where he’d taken breaks from being the bad guy, hiding away from everyone, desperate to feel like his true self again.

And despite how much he liked having Dilyn around...maybe...he could help--but no. What could he do that the others hadn’t already attempt---well there was...but no.

Deceit narrowed his eyes reaching up to poke Virgil’s nose. “What you doing?” He demanded.

Virgil made a face, pulling back out of Deceit’s reach before he could poke him again. “Thinking.” About Christmas. He’d decided against it then. It hadn’t been the right sort of gift, not in that feel-good moment they’d had. But-- he took a breath, slipping a hand into his pocket, sending a quick text to Roman before he could talk himself out of his harebrained idea. 

Hopefully this wouldn’t be an utter failure. Hopefully Dilyn would be willing to go along with it. 

Deceit huffed, shaking his head. “Why? All clear. I small.  _ Forever _ . The End.”

“Well…” Virgil said, working to make his voice confident as he moved the boy off his lap. “I was thinking that I can’t make you big again, Dee.” Especially because they still didn’t know exactly why he’d been changed into a child in the first place.

Dee rolled his eyes, hugging himself. “Duh, Annie.” He grumbled.

Back to Annie huh? “But…” Virgil smirked as Dee jerked his head up. He moved to his knees, raising his own hand in a similar gesture to Deceit’s, sending swirling black shadows to engulf the boy. “You can still be Deceit.”


End file.
